Chinese court denies mother payout after rape protest

A Chinese court has dismissed a compensation claim by a mother sent to a labour camp after she demanded justice for her daughter who had been raped.

Authorities in the southern city of Yongzhou sentenced Tang Hui to 18 months in a labour camp last August for "disturbing social order" after she demanded that the men who had raped her then 11-year-old daughter be given the death penalty.

The high-profile case has sparked debate about reform of the labour-camp system.

China's "re-education through labour" system, in place since 1957, empowers police and other agencies to detain people for up to four years without a court process.

Despite long-standing international criticism of the camps, many Chinese are largely oblivious to them because many of those who are locked up are poor and on the fringes of society and their cases are not publicised.

She's now in extreme despair, she doesn't believe in the law anymore. She stood crying outside the courthouse for a very long time.

Tang Hui's lawyer Si Weijiang

Ms Tang gained wide attention following reports in state media, with the case of a mother demanding justice for her daughter resonating with the public.

State media and microbloggers seized on her case to question the labour-camp system, saying it violated human rights and the rule of law.

A group of lawyers wrote to the central government seeking the repeal of the system. Ms Tang spent a little over a week in the camp before being released following a public outcry.

But on Friday, a provincial court upheld a January decision by the Yongzhou Re-education Through Labour Committee to reject Ms Tang's request for compensation of about 2,000 yuan ($306), her lawyer, Si Weijiang, said.

"She's now in extreme despair, she doesn't believe in the law anymore," Mr Si said.

"She stood crying outside the courthouse for a very long time."

Mr Si said the court overturned the decision to send Ms Tang to the labour camp but maintained it was not illegal.

Court officials could not be reached for comment.

The outrage about Ms Tang's case has coincided with a government pledge to reform the labour-camp system by the end of the year.

In the camp of more than 100 women, Ms Tang said she had to memorise two pages of phrases that included: "transform ourselves in a proper way" and "we're not allowed to escape".

She said she had not been ill-treated though guards watched her closely.

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